WHO Group To Discuss Plan For Industry Use Of Pandemic Flu Viruses

A closed-door working group under the World Health Organization will meet next week to continue working out details of a plan for companies to pay for the right to use influenza virus strains to potentially develop patented treatments.

The group, which is working on implementation of aspects of the WHO framework for pandemic influenza preparedness, will meet on 7-9 October.

The WHO website on the PIP framework is here.

The meeting is open only to committee members and even the agenda is private until approved in the meeting, though there will be consultations with stakeholders during the meeting, according to WHO sources.

The focus of the three-day meeting will be to discuss the draft implementation plan for the use of Partnership Contribution funds through the end of 2016, a WHO source said. WHO is aiming for final completion of the process by year’s end.

The second day of the meeting will be dedicated to consultations with industry and other stakeholders, the source said.

Other issues to be discussed include the status of SMTA-2 negotiations (Standard Material Transfer Agreement), and “technical matters” in the PIP Framework, the source said.

On the partnership contributions, a 3-year implementation plan (2014-2016) is being negotiated and a draft has been shared with the advisory group members, as well as industry and civil society ahead of next week’s meeting.

The draft plan contains the group’s approved recommendation to the director general that 70 percent of funds under the partnership contribution be allocated to pandemic preparedness and 30 percent to response.

Of that 70 percent preparedness allocation, the advisory group proposed that 70 percent be used to increase global laboratory and surveillance capacity. Of the remainder, 10 percent would go toward burden of disease studies, 10 percent to regulatory capacity building, and 10 percent to increasing risk communications capacity, the source said.

After the meeting, changes will be made and a final review will be given by the group, industry and other stakeholders before the plan is submitted to the director general.

On the SMTA2, the model contract terms which govern the transfer of biological material, negotiations are underway with three manufacturers, and “pre-negotiation” discussions are ongoing with three others, the source said.

Two agreements were already signed in late 2012, one with the University of Florida and the other with the company GlaxoSmithKline.

The WHO website on SMTA2 is here.